Fall, Winter Holiday Events PIVOT WITH PANDEMIC The City is taking action to help ensure cherished community traditions continue with resident safety at the forefront.
guidelines. More details about the event can be found at www.westerville.org/treelighting.
The Great Westerville Pumpkin Glow was the first experience to shift, moving to a drive-thru format. The event featured thousands of carved pumpkins assembled into fun fall scenes along the road running through Heritage Park (60 N. Cleveland Ave.)
Perhaps no City event is more highly anticipated than Snowflake Castle. It’s a time where the Everal Barn and Homestead at Heritage Park is transformed into Santa’s workshop and children are invited to meet elves, make wooden toys and, of course, get some facetime with the big man in red.
“We first premiered this event last year with great success. It was important to us to keep the momentum going and provide the experience again in a way that kept visitors and staff safe,” said Randy Auler, Westerville Parks and Recreation Director.
However, magic and all, Santa Claus and his elves are no more immune to public health concerns than anyone else. As such, they are setting time aside to meet virtually (via Zoom) with families.
“While we certainly look forward to the days we can return to the original walk-thru format for The Great Westerville Pumpkin Glow, I’m incredibly proud of the work staff and volunteers put into creating this drive-thru experience,” Auler said. The 2020 Holiday Celebration is transitioning to a selfguided experience where visitors are welcome to stop by Westerville City Hall (21 S. State St.) to see the tree with families and friends, respecting social distancing
For $10, families that sign up for the experience are provided materials in advance to build a wooden toy. Santa and his happy helpers will guide participants through the process of making the toy during a 10-minute video call. Register at www.westerville.org/registration. Keep up with upcoming holiday events at www.westerville.org/parks.
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